How I Monogrammed a Set of Stockings

First, I am embarrassed to admit that I have had this project sitting on my table since January. Yes, JANUARY! I agreed to monogram these stockings for a friend back when there was a strong possibility that we might move out of state. When God confirmed that His plan was for us to stay put, there was no longer a rush to get it done... and it continued to get bumped by more time sensitive projects.
But today was the day!

I added the names to these stockings in an amazingly short amount of time... so short that I'm mad at myself for waiting so long. :)
I'm hesitant to agree to monogramming stockings until I can get them in my hands and see how easy they are to lay flat. These fold-down cuffs could be flipped up and maneuvered easily in my single needle (which you will see later) so I proceeded on.
A quick note about the stockings: These were made by the matriarch of the family, who has since passed away. So there was an added amount of pressure to get them perfectly right; I had no room for error. My brain processed for months how I was going to hoop these to ensure the names were straight and all positioned in the same spot. I'm happy to say it was easy and turned out perfectly!

These stockings are not that big, so I planned to use my 4x4 hoop. We picked Embird Alpha #4 (Comic Sans) and I made the longest name (Caroline) 4" wide. The rest of the names were generated at the same settings so they had a consistent size. In the end that makes the short ones (Ray and Lisa) seem a little on the small side when you look at them individually, but I really prefer a consistent look across the board.

The cuffs were all a pretty consistent size (about 7" wide and 2 1/8" tall). So I modified Embird's built in basting stitch to create top and bottom lines that were exactly 2.125 inches apart, with little notches where the center was. That created a nice window for me to be sure the names were visually centered both horizontally and vertically. (For Ashley and Ray I ignored those dangly Ys and visually centered the capital letters; all names had the baseline in the same position.)

Now for the super fast hooping!
Disclaimer: This may not be the most sound hooping technique ever and has potential for error so please practice before using sentimental items!
I hooped sticky stabilizer and ran the placement lines directly on the stabilizer (sorry, I should have used a dark thread so you could see better!):

 

I measured and marked the center of the cuff with a straight pin:

Then I lined up the stocking on my hoop with edge along the stitched line and straight pin at the center notch:

Then I pinned the stocking (outside the stitch area) to the sticky for extra measure and headed back to my machine to stitch the name. (I did remove that center marking pin before hitting start :) )

Here's where the cheap conservation lady kicks in -- I VERY CAREFULLY removed the stocking from the sticky stabilizer WITHOUT unhooping. That sticky stabilizer is still usable!!

I lined up another stocking, floated a scrap of tearaway underneath, pinned the stocking, sticky and floated tearaway all together, and stitched stocking #2!

and #3, and #4, and #5, and #6.... Check out my stabilizer at the end! At this point the stickiness of the stabilizer is basically gone so I would have needed to start over with a new piece of sticky stabilizer. Thankfully I was done. :)

I'm super pleased with how this turned out. Not only was it a fast way of cranking through them, it ensured that every single name was the exact same distance from the bottom of the cuff, centered and straight with no worries!

So there you go. Writing this blog post literally took longer than monogramming the stockings from start to finish. I hope this helps on your next stocking project!





And now a moment for true confessions:
I created the designs, embroidered the stockings, photographed them, edited the pics, wrote and published this entire blog post... and THEN noticed that Ray's name was in fact smaller than the rest. It took me a moment to figure out why, but I remembered that I created his name separate from the rest, and the size settings in Embird must have returned to the default setting without me realizing it. UGH. So I picked out the stitches (which took longer than all of the above combined) and redid the name. Bah. It originally was a fast project... :)

Look what I got from DigiStitches!

While at Applique Getaway, I had the honor of meeting Jennilee of DigiStitches, and she gave me a special gift!

(oh, and my apologies to Jennilee, I'm confident these were originally packaged with pretty tissue paper and her business card... I restaged this pic a month later :) )
In the bag I found a Monag toddler ruffle tee and baby one-piece.

But look carefully, there is something extra special about these! One of the side seams had intentionally been left unsewn! Jennilee chose me, Me, ME! to test these for her!! Once out of the testing phase these will go into production! EEK!

Check out how much flat work space this provides!

SO EXCITING!
There have been times that I have ripped out side seams in order to ease the process of putting a large design on a small item, but this saves that step!
I first put the toddler ruffle tee to the test. I hooped it the same way I always do (my preferred method is fuse polymesh to inside of shirt, hoop a second piece of stabilizer and use spray adhesive/pins to attach the shirt; you do what works for you). However this was much faster because the open space made it easy to see that my marking lines matched up with the hoop axes. Check out all that open free space at the machine!

From this point I stitched the design as normal (using her I Love Pre-K design) but it was so much easier! At NO POINT did I have to manipulate the shirt to reveal a new part of my hoop, or watch out for the back hem of the shirt which might flop into my stitching area. Now, I couldn't walk away because I had lots of fabric to trim and several thread changes on my single needle :) BUT I was never paranoid and I could multitask!

When it was done, all I had left to do was sew up that open seam. I pinned it together matching all the seams:

I measured the existing serged seam on the other side of the shirt, it was a quarter-inch.

A serger would be helpful, but not required! I took the shirt to my machine and first sewed an exact quarter-inch seam (love that foot with a quarter-inch guide):

Then went back over the edges with an overlocking stitch (a simple zig zag would probably work, too). Final product looks pretty professional!

And here we go, a sweet little tee for a sweet little friend off to her first year of preschool!

What a colorful design, and gotta love those glitter sheets from Hobby Lobby!

I am instantly in love with this concept.
Yes, sewing up the seam is an added step. But the flexibility and reduced stitching stress is SO WORTH IT. I would have dreaded doing this applique (with 7 different elements to trim) the normal way I hoop a traditional tee. This was so much easier.

I cannot wait to give the one-piece a try. I'm going to use DS's Tool Belt. For that design to look best it really needs to stretch across the whole width of the one-piece, but that's hard to hoop! An open side seam is going to simplify the process so much!

Dreaming of 3-6 month sized one-pieces, so when I do my special delivery designs I don't have to do this anymore. Doesn't that raise your blood pressure a bit just looking at it?! I've done nearly 100 of them this way...

 

In summary...

DigiStitches has partnered with Monag and is putting open side seam shirts into production... more info soon!!! 
Remember, you saw it HERE first!

:)

Changing plans midstream

Well this "quick" project did not turn out like I originally envisioned, but I think it's even better!

I found this skirt at Walmart for Annaliese and picked up a blank gray shirt to go with it. I decided to just monogram the pocket area, and remembered GG Designs' free multi circles dot frame. I picked 8CP's Madison for the A, grabbed my matching threads and headed to the machine. This was my plan:

As the frame was stitching, I noticed that my stabilizer was shifting. Each of the dots stitched PERFECTLY, there was no issue with the design:

But for whatever reason (fast sloppy hooping?!) my shirt did not stay flat and I got this really poufy center. ACK!

I stopped there, I knew if I stitched the letter on top it would be permanently wrinkled and look terrible. I had to get rid of that excess knit... Reverse applique to the rescue!
I went back to my computer and digitized a small triple bean stitch circle to place inside the dot frame, and changed the size of the A slightly.
I hooped sticky stabilizer, laid down a piece of purple fabric and embroidered the A:

Then I laid the shirt back on top of my hoop, pinning in place, and stitched the triple bean stitch circle. I cut away the poofy knit, revealing smooth monogrammed fabric!

 Woo-hoo! Disaster averted!

I'm thankful that a year ago I read Tasha's blog post about using reverse applique to redeem a project. It came in handy for me on this! Go check it out: New Project: Reverse Applique at The Plaid Pineapple.

My quick stitch version of an applique font

Over a month ago I used a new applique alphabet from Lynnie Pinnie and completely forgot to share my project with you! She released the Stitchy Applique font, which has a hand stitched look around the edges. It's designed in such a way that you should leave a little extra fabric around the tackdown since it isn't finished with a satin stitch. I was excited to put it to use!
Even using the smallest size of the font in my biggest hoop, I had to cram all the letters of Annaliese's name side by side. BUT IT FIT! :) However, there really wasn't enough space between letters to trim the fabric. So I tried a quick and easy way to applique names on these blankets! It was SUPER fast, you should give it a try!

Here's what I did:
I only ran the placement stitch for the first and last letter, and laid a big piece of green knit on top.
Then in matching thread I tacked down the first, middle and last letter. Truly just to tack it in place. Since I'm not trimming out each individual letter, I didn't bother tacking down everything. This was simply to save time.
Then I ran the final "stitchy" outline of the letters in a contrasting thread.
Finally I trimmed around the outside of their names, not worrying about in between letters and holes.

The kids loved having their Christmas blankets monogrammed. Aren't they so cute, sitting here all ready for Christmas??

I know, I know, you probably didn't even look at their monogrammed blankets. :)
I can claim the adorable kids, but their pajamas arrived courtesy of Grandma. She ordered the pjs and used LP's Peeking Santa Frame on them (with I2S's Barnyard Font for names). We are so blessed!

A quick key fob (and how I save stabilizer)

Yesterday late afternoon Annaliese exclaimed, "Oh Mom! My teacher's birthday is tomorrow!" I guess she had known for a few days but just at that moment remembered to tell me. At least it was better than last year when she said, "my teacher's birthday was today." So we are making progress... maybe next year I'll get even more notice!

I love DigiStitches Quilted Key Fobs! Such a fun, practical and quick gift. And check out this adorable fabric my MIL found for me -- the owls are so tiny!! Just perfect for a Springwood teacher.

 I shared in December how I like to mass produce key fobs -- it goes quickly and really reduces waste.  But what about when you only need to make one? To avoid wasting a whole piece of stabilizer cut to fit my 6x10 hoop, I do the following.
Cut a long piece of stabilizer and place hoop at left end.

Instead of stitching the key fob in the center of the center of the hoop, I positioned it as far left as possible. Note the excess stabilizer is rolled up on the right hand side.

The mark on the excess stabilizer shows where I would have cut the stabilizer for a traditional hooping:

I use my rotary cutter to precisely trim a 1/4" seam allowance.

Look how much stabilizer I saved by using this technique -- over 6 inches!!

That 6" strip would be in my trash can if I had cut a piece to fit and stitched the key fob in the center. But instead that 6 inches is still connected to a large piece of stabilizer, ready to use on my next project. It may not seem that significant, but it can add up fast! :)

Whooooooo loves perfectly placed designs?

This is part two of my recent applique owl extravaganza. You can see all the cute pictures of my daughter in her new items as well as all the Lynnie Pinnie design info in part one: Whooooooo loves owls?
These designs feature either an owl or a trio of owls sitting on a branch, which extends farther to the right than the left. Asymmetrical designs like this require extra care when placing the design on your project. To quote my friend Kaycee, "Scrolls, swirls and tails generally should be mostly ignored. Center the "BULK" of the design or font. That's my rule of thumb anyway :)" It's MY rule of thumb, too! As much as it pains this mathematician to say it, often the technical center of a design is not the most visually pleasing. Even if you measure and mark the exact center of your shirt and perfectly center the embroidery design file, it may look off when you are all done. 

Before proceeding, I have some required reading for you. Please follow this link to read "Centering those Off-Center Appliques" by Rosemary of Applique Cafe. She does a great job explaining the situation with several visuals, showing how she accounts for off-center designs within her software before heading to the embroidery machine. Most of the time I use a similar technique. Go read and come right back. :)

In the case of this design however, the design completely filled the width of my hoop and I couldn't shift it left or right.  The black line represents the center of the design. But the blue line shows where the center should fall to be the most visually pleasing.  It's about 15mm off. And it's amazing what a difference 15mm can make!

One of the easiest solutions is to print a template, trim around the design, lay it on the shirt where it looks *just* right, draw in your axes and hoop the shirt. (You can see an example of that here.) But I'm pretty cheap when it comes to using our printer and I don't want to waste the precious ink. :) Instead I look at the design in Embird and use my hoop templates to help me get my design placement perfect.
For this pink shirt I folded it in half vertically and made a little mark with my water soluble pen where the center of the shirt was. I knew I wanted to shift my design 15mm to the right so the center of the owl lined up with the center of the shirt.I laid my hoop down in the appropriate spot and then marked my design placement. I'm sorry this is a terrible picture. I started composing this blog post in my head too late to get good pictures so I just grabbed my phone. Can you see the little mark on my shirt 15mm to the left of the center of my template?

When I was done, my shirt looked like this. The owl looks centered, yay! The branch extends farther off to the right, but that's ok.

After doing this design I decided to take better pictures in the process of my second shirt. Again, the leaves on the branch make the overall design appear off-center. The black line is the axis of my hoop, but the blue line is what looks like the center to me:

I folded my shirt in half, pressing the center line:

Then since I wanted to shift my design 10mm to the right, I laid my hoop with the center axis 10mm to the right of my fold (kind of hard to see...) I marked the center and axes, drew my lines and hooped it!

Hope that helps save you from stitching a flawless embroidery design, removing it from the hoop and thinking, MAN, that does NOT look right!! :)

Special request from my little man

Though you'd never believe it from the picture I posted last Easter, Dashiell loves his tie shirt. He wears it to church at least once a month, if not every other week. You'd think everyone has seen it by now, but it always gets a chuckle out of somebody new. :) Anyway, a few weeks ago Dashiell found himself with a dry erase marker in his hand... and the shirt has been retired. Last Sunday when I reminded him of this fact he asked, "Mom, can you make me a NEW tie shirt? With a dark brown tie? On a white shirt?" I said ABSOLUTELY! I will make applique shirts for my little man as long as he will wear them!

This is one of my absolute favorite designs, the Neck Tie Applique from GG Designs. SO simple, but just the perfect proportions, and I love that the tackdown stitches for the knot are separate from the rest of the tie so you can rotate the stripe. (If you own an embroidery machine, you need this design. And while you are there, check out that pic of baby Dashiell! My how he's grown.)
Woo-hoo!! Check out the design placement along the ribbing of the neckline!

A perk of owning embroidery software is the ability to print design templates. I use them all the time when making tie onesies and tees. I find the template to be helpful for a couple reasons. First of all -- design placement. I lay the template on the shirt exactly where I want the design to end up:

With my water soluble marking pen I put dots at the end of the axes:

Then I connect the dots to find where the center of my design should fall.

Now I am able to hoop my shirt, confident the tie will end up exactly where I want it -- just under the ribbing of the neckline.
I also use the design template to help me prep my applique fabric. I love using stripes for this design, placed at an angle. I lay my template on top of the fabric and cut a rectangle around the bottom portion of the tie. The extra fabric leftover in one of the corners of my rectangle is the perfect size for the knot of the tie, turned at a 90 degree angle! I add heat-n-bond lite to the fabric and head to my machine.

"Can I wear my new tie shirt? I'd be so handsome!"
Why, yes you can. And yes you are.